The Orochi Eight Families.
Erika Uesugi pouted and put down the game controller.
The gray, defeat screen confirmed she had been thoroughly beaten.
Her older brother, Hajime Minamoto, gently ruffled her hair.
"The opponent was strong—really strong, even by professional standards. I lost to him too."
Due to her kotodama curse, Erika Uesugi couldn't speak normally.
But the look in her eyes clearly said she was not happy.
If she ever met that guy in person, she'd definitely hand him a swift and righteous sword of judgment.
Just then, Sakura—Hajime's subordinate—walked in.
A tall Japanese woman dressed in tight leather gear fit for a ninja, her body strapped with countless sharp weapons.
"Young master, the clan head is calling you to a meeting!"
"Understood."
Hajime knew Japan's situation had gotten tense lately. Many hybrid-blood families had arrived, and there were dragon kings hiding in the country as well.
If anything went wrong, the resulting damage could be irreversible.
Japan was a nation, yes—but in terms of land area, it wasn't even as big as a single province in some larger countries.
And thanks to its geography, the country was constantly at risk of natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis.
A single strike to the seabed could potentially send the entire nation sinking into the ocean.
Hajime was feeling the pressure!
This gang boss who once dreamed of selling sunscreen on a French beach—
was now barely holding it together!
But even if he couldn't handle it… what could he do?
He was the tallest guy in the room—so it fell on him.
After delivering her message, Sakura stepped out.
Hajime patted Erika's little head again. Her smooth, dark red hair swayed gently with the breeze.
"Don't go out for the next few days. It's dangerous."
"Why?"
Erika picked up her writing pad and scribbled out the question in neat handwriting.
"You'll understand when you're older."
Hajime sighed.
Even though Erika was technically the head of the Uesugi family among the Orochi Eight…
In truth, she was just an innocent girl who didn't understand anything.
Emotionally, she was still extremely immature.
She didn't even grasp the concept of relationships between men and women.
Pure, like a child.
Hajime gave her a few final instructions before leaving.
Erika stared at the defeat screen on the TV, growing more frustrated by the second.
She cursed that guy in her heart.
Watching Hajime disappear out the door, Erika picked up her game controller again—
—but didn't restart the game.
Hajime had been spending less and less time playing with her lately.
And boredom… was a child's greatest enemy.
Erika set the controller down. She had made up her mind:
She was running away from home.
---
Akihabara—once a district of electronics shops.
Now, it was the holy land of otakus.
There's a saying in the otaku world:
"If you've never been to Akihabara, you're no true otaku."
That alone shows how much they revere this street.
Standing at the entrance to Akihabara, looking at the bustling crowd—
Cute maid girls stood at café doors, calling out to passersby.
Gorgeous cosplayers posed for photos with tourists.
Hatsune Miku, Haruhi Suzumiya, Saber from the Holy Grail War…
"Achoo!"
Lu Mingfei suddenly sneezed.
Next to him, Ren Asakura looked puzzled.
"Idiot—can you even catch a cold?"
Lu Mingfei rubbed his nose and muttered instinctively:
"Maybe some cute girl's thinking about me right now?"
"Yeah right! Like any pretty girl would be into a loser like you."
Lu Mingfei was clearly hurt by the blow.
Ren Asakura could only shrug helplessly.
Old Tang, accompanied by his two younger brothers, watched the bustling street with excitement in his eyes.
He loved video games.
Now that he was in this electronics district, he wanted to buy some of the latest titles.
But he still had to look after his two little brothers.
His human instincts made him especially protective of them.
That was the bond of human blood—
and also the natural "bro-con" trait of the dragon race.
Everyone's eyes were fixed in different directions.
Clearly, each of them had somewhere they wanted to go.
Fenrir spotted delicious food.
Lu Mingfei wanted to take photos with cosplayers.
Old Tang was eager to buy games.
Ren Asakura was eyeing the figure shops.
Mai didn't seem particularly interested in Akihabara—
she was simply doing her job as a maid.
Ren Asakura noticed this and clapped his hands.
"Alright, everyone, eyes on me!"
Everyone turned to look at him.
"Seems like we all want to do different things, so how about we split up? We're not some kind of fusion monster—of course our interests and ideas aren't all the same. We came here to have fun, so let's really enjoy ourselves."
If they came to play, then they should play happily.
Ren Asakura hated joyless trips.
"Here's the plan: Constantin and Fenrir are still kids, so they need supervision. Old Tang, you're their real big brother, so they're your responsibility. You three stick together, enjoy yourselves and explore. This card has $500 million in it—everything you buy today is on me, Young Master Ren."
Ren Asakura pulled out a sleek black bank card.
It held the $500 million he had gotten from the Gattuso family.
Spend freely. Eat all you want.
He handed the card to Old Tang and clapped him on the shoulder.
"If anything goes wrong, you should know how to handle it. If you really can't deal with it, call your big bro—that's me—and I'll take care of it."
Old Tang stared at the black card in his hand, overwhelmed with emotion.
"Boss, you're too good to me!"
Those hybrid freaks would never dream that the Three Dragon King they'd been chasing so long had strolled right into otaku paradise: Akihabara.
"What about me, huh? What about me!"
Lu Mingfei said excitedly.
"You're a single dog. Go play by yourself."
Ren Asakura tossed him a black card too—
this one also linked to the same $500 million account.
"Oh yeah!"
Lu Mingfei bounced off with joy.
Ren Asakura then turned to Mai.
"You've had it rough too. I'm giving you a day off today, so you don't keep cursing me as a heartless boss in your head."
Mai thought she misheard him.
The smile on her face twitched awkwardly as she asked, suspicious:
"What did you say? A day off?"
Ren Asakura nodded.
Then handed her a black card as well.
"There's $500 million in it. Buy whatever you want. Let's just call it this month's salary."
Mai took the black card on instinct.
Her mind was still trying to catch up.
Since when did this black-hearted boss do a complete 180?
But before she could snap out of it, Ren Asakura had already taken off, heading toward a figure shop to admire the finely crafted models.
Mai, dressed in a maid outfit, didn't stand out much in this haven of nerds—but her stunning aura made her shine like a crane among chickens.
Staring at the black card in her hand, Mai found herself at a loss for what to do.
As a legendary beauty with enough ex-boyfriends to line up around the block, she was well-versed in luxury brands.
But now her role was that of a nanny, a cute maid.
Even if she bought some designer stuff, when would she ever get the chance to use it?
Besides, she knew—
after this joyride would come a dragon king's war.
"Honestly, I don't even know if this is a good thing or not."
Not spending money when you have it is just stupid.
Mai decided—she'd start by figuring out how to spend more.
°°°
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